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Hand-crafted lamps by Patricio Wolovich

Vol. 36 No. 20

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See page 8

october 17, 2014

SERVING BIXBY KNOLLS, CALIFORNIA HEIGHTS, LOS CERRITOS, WRIGLEY AND THE CITY OF SIGNAL HILL

Your Weekly Community Newspaper

e new college try

City of LB joins three local educational institutions in College Promise

Veterans Day parade marches on through online fundraising Sean Belk

Staff Writer

Cory Bilicko/Signal Tribune

Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) Superintendent Christopher Steinhauser speaks during an Oct. 13 press conference announcing that the City of Long Beach will now join the three entities already involved in the Long Beach College Promise: LBUSD, Long Beach City College and California State University, Long Beach.

Cory Bilicko

Managing Editor

Inside a conference room in Long Beach Unified School District’s (LBUSD) newest high school, Superintendent Christopher Steinhauser announced Monday that the City of Long Beach is now joining the three main educational institu-

tions here in ensuring that local students have a clearly delineated path to higher education– through the College Promise. “There is no other organization or ‘Promise’ [program] in the state or the nation that has the unified school district, the community college, the university and the city involved,” Steinhauser

said. “We’re very fortunate.” The City’s participation, however, is not the only news that was shared during Monday’s conference at McBride High School. The Long Beach College Promise’s mission is also being expanded to include a goal of universal presee PROMISE page 12

Richardson, Kerr implement new initiative to support schools, community in north Long Beach

Cory Bilicko

Managing Editor

It’s been a big week for education initiatives in Long Beach. Just one day after local education officials announced that the City of Long Beach will now join the unified school district, the community college and the university here as a partner in the College Promise to help ensure local students get into institutions of higher learning, two city leaders representing the northern section of Long Beach shared news of their own efforts to prioritize educational opportunities for students in that area. Ninth District Councilmember Rex Richardson and 1st District School Board Member Megan Kerr hosted a press conference Tuesday morning at Jordan High School to announce their collaboration to implement the North Long Beach Whole Village Initiative– to establish an education foundation and a task force to support the area’s schools and community. According to Richardson’s office, the initiative will use best practices to expand opportunity at pivotal moments in the lives of youth and will focus on four main areas to help students and families succeed: after-school programs, mentoring, college-

Cory Bilicko/Signal Tribune

First District School Board Member Megan Kerr (pictured at the podium and flanked by 9th District Councilmember Rex Richardson) conducts a press conference Tuesday morning at Jordan High School to announce her and Richardson’s implementation of the North Long Beach Whole Village Initiative that will establish an education foundation and a task force to support the area’s schools and community. Also pictured are various north Long Beach comsee INITIATIVE page 6 munity leaders and members of Jordan High’s Male Academy.

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Weekly Weather Forecast Friday

70°

Saturday

68°

Sunday

54°

Partly sunny and breezy

Sun and clouds

Sun & clouds, cooler

Lo 58°

Lo 48°

Lo 42°

October 17 through October 22, 2014

Monday

Tuesday

58°

Partly sunny

Occasional rain and drizzle

Lo 46°

Lo 47°

57°

This week’s Weekly Weather Forecast sponsored by:

3841 Atlantic Ave. Long Beach (562) 427-7901

Marching bands, military groups and elected government officials will make their way down Atlantic Avenue during the 18th Annual Long Beach Veterans Day Parade on Saturday, Nov. 8 thanks, in part, to a social-media fundraising campaign. Organizers of the annual event, which draws more than 10,000 spectators to north Long Beach to honor military service men and women, enlisted the help of fundraising website GoFundMe.com to solicit donations this year. According to the site, 42 donations, totaling $7,020, were made to support the parade through the online campaign from August to October. Individuals listed anonymously and by name made donations ranging from $25 to $1,000 with the ability to spread the word through social-media websites. Martha Thuente, the parade’s event coordinator and a member of the Long Beach Veterans Day Committee, said staging the parade costs about $45,000 a year. While the City annually budgets about $15,000 to cover fire, police, street-sweeping and public-works services, about $30,000 a year is raised solely from corporate sponsorships, grants and private donations to pay for banners, promotional materials, an event consultant and other necessities, she said. Major contributors that continue to provide financial support include the Port of Long Beach and Edison International, Thuente said. “We‘re at a place in our history that, more than ever, we need to honor the men and women who have kept us free and have guaranteed all our rights and privileges,” she said. “That’s why we have this parade, to honor those men and women who serve.” A committee member recommended the online campaign after a drop in funding from one of the parade’s past vendors prompted the committee to boost fundraising efforts this year, said Committee Chair Val Lerch, a former 9th District councilmember, who helped continue the parade after it was started, originally on Labor Day weekend, by former 9th District Councilmember see PARADE page 2


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